Golf club shaft and method for manufacturing same

ABSTRACT

A golf club shaft and a method especially suited for producing the shaft that provides appropriately high rigidity and ease of use and that allows inexpensive and easy manufacture.  
     A sloped section  16  expanding toward a grip end  14  is formed. The sloped section has a slope gradient of 15/1000-35/1000 and a length of 200-350 mm. The outer diameter of the grip end is 18-25 mm. On the side of the sloped section toward an end  18 , there is formed a semi-sloped section  19  with a slope gradient of 4/1000-13/1000. A kick point is formed at a position 40-46% from the small-diameter end relative to the shaft length. The number of required parts is small while production is simple. The shaft is light, has appropriate hardness, and high rigidity at the grip. Furthermore, the strength of the shaft is balanced and provides a good feel when hitting a ball.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Technical Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a golf club shaft. More specifically, the present invention provides a grip with improved rigidity.

[0003] 2. Background Technology

[0004] In golf clubs, lighter shafts are desirable to improve the head speed during the swing. In addition, improved flexural rigidity at the grip is also desired to improve the feel of impact when striking the ball.

[0005] Japanese laid-open utility model publication number 63-133261 and Japanese laid-open utility model publication number 4-44968 disclose fiber-reinforced resin shafts in which rigidity is adjusted by providing a member made from fiber-reinforced resin disposed over a section of the shaft.

[0006] Also, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,614,101, there is disclosed a golf club shaft having a sloped section that expands toward the grip end. The slope has a gradient of 28/1000, a length of 254 mm, and the outer diameter at the grip end is 20.57 mm. A semi-sloped section having a slope gradient of 10.79/1000 is disposed closer to the end than the sloped section.

[0007] The Japanese laid-open patent publication number 9-299524 discloses a fiber-reinforced resin golf club shaft having a tapered section toward the grip, a small-diameter section toward the head, and a tapered center section. The tapered section toward the grip has a gradient of 2/1000-10/1000, a length of 200-600 mm, and a maximum outer diameter of 18-37 mm.

PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0008] However, in the golf club shafts disclosed in Japanese utility-model publication number 63-133261 and Japanese laid-open patent publication number 4-44968, the use of a separate member makes the production process more complicated and also substantially increases costs.

[0009] In Japanese utility model examined publication number 2529041, there is disclosed a fiber-reinforced resin shaft in which the rigidity is adjusted by having a layer of metal disposed on the grip. The use of the layer of metal also increases the complexity of the production process and substantially increases costs. Furthermore, since fiber-reinforced resin and metal do not have high adhesiveness, this is expected to be lacking in durability.

[0010] With the shaft disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,614,101, a straight section approximately 150 mm in length is disposed between the sloped section and the semi-sloped section. As a result, a single shaft has two positions, at the ends of the straight section, where there is a large change in the flexural rigidity. This results in variations in flexure depending on the swing speed and how the golfer swings, thus making the golf club awkward to use.

[0011] Also, in the shaft from Japanese laid-open patent publication number 9-299524 described above, there is a long section toward the end that has a uniform diameter. This section has less flexural rigidity and the kick point is made too high, thus making the shaft difficult to use.

[0012] The object of the present invention is to overcome the problems described above and to provide a golf club shaft and method for producing the same where rigidity is appropriately high, a kick point is formed at an appropriate position, the shaft is easy to use, and production can be performed inexpensively and easily.

MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEMS

[0013] The present invention provides a golf club shaft wherein: a sloped section expanding toward a grip end is formed. The sloped section has a slope gradient of 15/1000-35/1000 and a length of 200-350 mm. The outer diameter of the grip end is 18-25 mm. A semi-sloped section having a slope gradient of 4/1000-13/1000 is formed on the side of the sloped section toward the end. A kick point is formed at a position 40-46% from a small-diameter end relative to the length of the shaft.

[0014] It would also be desirable for the length of the semi-sloped section to have a length that is 50-80% that of the shaft. Furthermore, it would also be desirable to have a uniform-diameter section having a length of 40-125 mm formed at the end.

[0015] In the method for making golf club shafts recited in claim 4, a fiber-reinforced resin material is wrapped around a mandrel on which is formed a sloped section expanding toward one end. Pressure is applied to sections outside the sloped section while forming a non-pressurized region at the sloped section. Pressure is applied to the non-pressurized region. Heating and setting are performed.

[0016] In the method for making golf club shafts as recited in claim 5, there is an inner-layer rolling step wherein a fiber-reinforced resin material is wrapped around a mandrel formed with a sloped section expanding toward one end so that the fiber orientation forms a 20-70 degrees angle relative to the axis of the mandrel. The mandrel is rolled on a rolling base at 30-40 degrees C to adhese the fiber-reinforced resin material to the mandrel. In an outer-layer rolling step, the mandrel on which the fiber-reinforced resin material is wrapped is further wrapped with a fiber-reinforced resin material so that the fiber orientation is parallel to the axis of the mandrel. The mandrel is rolled on a rolling base at 20-25 degrees C to adhese the fiber-reinforced material. In a heating and setting step, heat is applied. During the inner-layer rolling step and the outer-layer rolling step, pressure is applied to sections outside of the sloped section while a non-pressurized region is formed at the sloped section. Then, pressure is applied to the non-pressurized region.

EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Referring to FIG. 1, in a golf club shaft according to the present invention, a sloped section 16 is formed on a grip section 12 so that its diameter increases toward a grip end 14. A bend 20 having a changing slope gradient is formed between the sloped section 16 and the end 18. Continuous with this, there is formed a semi-sloped section 19.

[0018] In the present invention, the slope gradient of the sloped section 16 is 16-35/1000. It would be even more desirable for the slope gradient to be 20-30/1000. In the present invention, the presence of the sloped section 16 serves to increase the rigidity of the shaft. Adequate rigidity is difficult to obtain with a slope gradient of less than 15/1000, and a gradient of greater than 35/1000 results in too much hardness, making it inappropriate for golf club shafts.

[0019] A length L of the sloped section must be 200-350 mm. If the length L is less than 200 mm, the advantage provided by rigidity is small. A length greater than 350 mm results in a hardness inappropriate for the golf club shaft. A length of 240-300 mm would be even more desirable.

[0020] The end toward the thicker side of the sloped section, i.e. the grip end 14, must have an outer diameter of 18-25 mm. If the end is thinner than 18 mm, the advantages of improved rigidity are small. If the diameter is greater than 25 mm, the hardness is too high for golf club shafts, and also results in the shaft becoming more difficult to grip. A diameter of 20-23 mm would be desirable.

[0021] The semi-sloped section 19, which is closer to the end than the sloped section 16, must be formed with a slope gradient of 4/1000-13/1000. It would be even more desirable for the semi-sloped section 19 to have a slope gradient of 7-10/1000. If the slope gradient is less than 4/1000, the rigidity of the semi-sloped section is very low, resulting in the kick point becoming too high, which is inappropriate for golf club shafts. Also, if the slope gradient is larger than 13/1000, the rigidity near the bend 20 becomes too high, making it inappropriate for golf club shafts.

[0022] It would be desirable for the length of the semi-sloped section to be 50-80% of the overall length of the shaft. It would even be more desirable to have a length that is 60-75%. If the length is less than 50%, a section with uniform diameter would be formed on either the small-diameter side or the large-diameter side of the semi-sloped section. If the equal-diameter section is formed on the small-diameter side, a long equal-diameter section is formed at the end. This results in a low flexural rigidity for that section, causing the kick point to be formed too high and making it inappropriate for golf club shafts. If the equal-diameter section is formed on the large-diameter side, large changes in flexural rigidity are formed in multiple positions on the shaft, making the shaft difficult to use in hitting balls. If the length is greater than 80%, formation of a sloping section having an adequate length becomes difficult.

[0023] The kick point must be at a position 40-46% of the total length of the shaft from the small-diameter end. A position of 41-45% would be more desirable. If the position is less than 40%, the flexural rigidity of the small-diameter section becomes too low, resulting in decreased strength. If the position exceeds 46%, highly ballistic balls cannot be hit and long flight distance are difficult to obtain.

[0024] In the golf club shaft of the present invention, it would be desirable to have a uniform-diameter section 22 having a uniform thickness be formed at the end on which the golf club head is attached. This is so that the end can be inserted into the hosel of the golf club head to attach the golf club head. Attachment is performed by cutting the uniform-diameter section 22 as appropriate. To accommodate this procedure, it would be desirable to have a length S for the equal-diameter section 22 be set to 40-125 mm.

[0025] Standard materials can be used as the material for the golf club shaft. It would be desirable to use metal or composite material.

[0026] Examples of metals that can be used include super-high strength steel, martensitic steel, 5% Cr medium carbon steel, alpha+beta titanium alloy, and beta titanium alloy.

[0027] Examples of composite materials include various fiber-reinforced materials such as fiber-reinforced metals and fiber-reinforced resins.

[0028] Examples of fibers that can be used for fiber reinforcement include carbon fiber, glass fiber, aramid fiber, and inorganic fiber. Examples of forms of fiber that can be used in include unidirectional, woven, and nonwoven cloth. In addition to using a single material, it would also be possible to use a co-woven material of two or more types.

[0029] Examples of fiber-reinforced matrices include aluminum and iron. Examples of fiber-reinforced resin matrices include thermosetting resins such as unsaturated polyester resin, beer ester resin, and epoxy resin, as well as thermoplastic resins such as acrylic resins and polyamide resins.

[0030] Of these fiber-reinforced resins, it would be desirable to use carbon fiber reinforced epoxy resin material because it is light and strong.

[0031] The shaft does not have to be formed as a single-layer structure. In particular, when fiber-reinforced resin is used, it would be desirable to use a multi-layer structure.

[0032] If a multi-layer fiber-reinforced resin structure is used, it would be desirable to form at least one layer with the fiber oriented parallel to the axis of the shaft, and to have the fiber orientation of the other layers being at an angle of 20-70 degrees relative to the shaft axis. By using different fiber orientations in a multi-layer fiber-reinforced resin shaft, improved shaft rigidity during the swing can be provided.

[0033] The golf club shaft according to the present invention can essentially produced using various standard methods.

[0034] For example, the following method would be desirable.

[0035] First, a mandrel is formed with a prescribed shape and size having a sloped section expanding toward one end. A shaft material such as a fiber-reinforced resin material cut to a prescribed dimension (e.g., a fiber-reinforced rein material 38 shaped as shown in FIG. 6) is wrapped along the mandrel. This is rolled along a rolling base to improve the tightness of the fiber-reinforced resin material. The shape of the shaft is determined by the outer shape of the mandrel. To provide a slope gradient of 15-35/1000 for the sloped section of the shaft, a mandrel having a corresponding slope gradient of 10-40/1000 is used. Similarly, to provide a semi-sloped section with a slope gradient of 4-13/1000, a mandrel with a corresponding sloped section having a slope gradient of 4-16/1000 is used.

[0036] Then, to prevent unraveling in heat, a glass-cloth prepreg is wrapped around the grip section. This is then suspended in a heating furnace to thermoset the fiber-reinforced resin material. Then, the mandrel is removed and polishing and painting is performed as needed to produce a fiber-reinforced resin golf club shaft.

[0037] The outer diameter of the end can be made uniform by adjusting the number of layers or the thickness of the fiber-reinforced resin material wrapped around the mandrel. Referring to FIG. 7, for example, a triangular fiber-reinforced resin material 40 can be wrapped around the end so that a greater number of layers are formed toward the end, thus providing a uniform thickness.

[0038] A golf club can be provided by attaching a golf club head and a grip to the resulting golf club shaft.

[0039] With the golf club shaft having a bend according to the present invention, the shaft is rolled on a rolling base. Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, an elastic pad made from a butyl rubber or the like is mounted on a rolling base 32. The mandrel 30 is pressed against this and rolled so that pressure is applied to the area between the end 18 and the bend 20 or the area around the bend 20 of the sloped section 19, and a small-diameter section is formed with no pressure applied to a region 34 of the sloped section 16. Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, the mandrel 30 is pressed and rolled on elastic pads 26, 28 mounted on the rolling base 32. This provides application of pressure to the small-diameter section, where pressure is applied around the bend 20 and the end 18 with the pressure being applied to at least the region 34 on which pressure was not applied during the pressing of the small-diameter section.

[0040] By first applying pressure to the areas outside of the sloped section and then applying pressure to the sloped section in this manner, it is possible to provide firm wrapping first to the area taking up the greater portion of the overall shaft. Then, when pressure is applied to the sloped section, warping that took place can be eliminated and unevenness can be limited. This also allows the shaft with a bend to be produced with an overall improvement in the tightness at which the fiber-reinforced resin material 36 is wrapped.

[0041] Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a cross-section side-view drawing when the mandrel 30 is rotated to a point A in FIG. 2. Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown a cross-section side-view drawing when the mandrel 30 is rotated to a point B in FIG. 2.

[0042] A fiber-reinforced resin shaft can also be produced with at least two layers where an inner layer and an outer layer have different fiber orientations. First, in the rolling operation for the inner layer, the fiber-reinforced resin material is wrapped around the mandrel so that the fiber is oriented at an angle of 20-70 degrees relative to the axis of the mandrel. This mandrel is rolled on a rolling base at 30-40 degrees C.

[0043] Next, in the rolling operation for the outer layer, the mandrel on which the fiber-reinforced resin material was wrapped to form the inner layer is then wrapped with a fiber-reinforced resin material so that the fiber orientation is parallel to the axis of the mandrel. It would be desirable to roll the mandrel on the rolling base at 20-25 degrees C.

[0044] In rolling a fiber-reinforced resin material so that the fiber is oriented at an angle of 20-70 degrees relative to the axis of the mandrel, the orientation of the fiber results in high resistance. However, since the rolling base is set to a temperature of 30-40 degrees C, the fiber-reinforced resin material is made softer so that it can be rolled along the shape of the mandrel easily. When rolling the fiber-reinforced resin material so that it is oriented parallel to the mandrel axis, the rolling base temperature is set to 20-25 degrees C. This reduces surface tacking of the fiber-reinforced resin material and eliminates air bubbles, thus keeping voids from being formed.

[0045] As described above, an inner layer is formed with a fiber-reinforced resin material so that the fiber orientation is at an angle relative to the axis of the mandrel, and an outer layer is formed with a fiber-reinforced resin material so that the fiber orientation is parallel to the axis of the mandrel. Additionally, it would also be possible to form an inner layer with a fiber-reinforced resin material so that the fiber orientation is parallel to the axis of the mandrel and to form an outer layer with a fiber-reinforced resin material so that the fiber orientation is at an angle to the axis of the mandrel. However, having the outer layer being formed with a fiber-reinforced resin material so that the fiber orientation is parallel to the axis of mandrel provides higher flexural rigidity for the shaft.

EMBODIMENTS

[0046] The position of the kick point in the embodiments described below were measured as follows.

[0047] Referring to FIG. 10, for a sample shaft 42, flexure is produced by applying a compressing force from a small-diameter end 44 and a large-diameter end 46 along the axis of the shaft 42. When a length x, which is the amount by which the distance between the small-diameter end 44 and the large-diameter end 46 is reduced, becomes 20 mm, the position at which there is most displacement is marked with a mark M. The applied force is then released and the shaft is restored. Then, a length K between the small-diameter end 44 and the mark M is measured and is divided by a shaft length N to provide a ratio, which serves as the kick point position.

EMBODIMENTS

[0048] A golf club shaft is produced in the following manner.

[0049] A mandrel is used to produce the shaft. The mandrel is formed with a bend point and a sloped section, and has an outer diameter at one end (small-diameter end) of 5.3 mm and an outer diameter at the other end (large-diameter end) of 21.5 mm. The slope gradient between the bend point and the large-diameter end is 21/1000. The slope gradient between the bend point and the small-diameter end is 10/1000.

[0050] A releasing agent is applied to the mandrel. A fiber-reinforced resin material is formed from an epoxy resin impregnated with carbon fibers (fiber basis weight: 125 g/m^ 2) cut to prescribed dimensions. These fiber-reinforced resin materials are adhesed to each other so that the fiber orientations of the carbon fibers are +45 degrees and −45 degrees relative to the axis of the mandrel. This is then wrapped to the mandrel.

[0051] Then, to prevent the material from falling off in heat, a glass-fiber cloth prepreg is wrapped around the grip section so that it projects 30 mm to the mandrel.

[0052] Then, the fiber-reinforced resin material is pressed to the mandrel using a rolling base set to a surface temperature of 35 degrees C. Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, an elastic pad 24 made from a butyl rubber is mounted on the rolling base 32, and the mandrel 30 is rolled over this elastic pad 24 so that pressure is not applied to a region 34 while pressure is applied to the sloped section 16 between the end 18 and a bend 20 as well as the area around the bend 20 of the sloped section 20, thus resulting in the fiber-reinforced resin material 36 being tightly wrapped.

[0053] Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, butyl rubber receiving pads 26, 28 are mounted on the rolling base 32. The mandrel 30 is pressed and rolled over the elastic pads 26, 28, and pressure is applied to the sloped section 16, including the 34 to which pressure was not applied, as well as to the areas around bend 20 and the end 18, thus resulting in the fiber-reinforced resin material 36 being tightly wrapped.

[0054] The elastic pad 26 is formed as a flat plate having a thickness of 3 mm. The receiving pads 24, 28 are formed as two flat plates having thicknesses of 3 mm stacked on each other. Referring to FIG. 2, length a=250, b=200, c=200, d=250, e=30, and f=200 mm.

[0055] A fiber-reinforced resin material is formed by cutting a fiber-reinforced resin (basis weight: 150 g/m^ 2) consisting of an epoxy resin impregnated with carbon fibers to a prescribed dimension. This is wrapped around the mandrel on which the previous fiber-reinforced resin material was applied. The fiber-reinforced resin material is wrapped so that the fiber orientation is parallel to the axis of the mandrel.

[0056] Then, the fiber-reinforced resin material is applied to the mandrel in the same manner as described above using a rolling base with its surface temperature set to 22 degrees C.

[0057] Referring to FIG. 7, a triangular fiber-reinforced resin material 40 is wrapped at the end so that the thickness increases toward the end. This allows the outer diameter to be adjusted so that it is uniform at the end.

[0058] Then, on top of this, a polypropylene tape is wrapped at a pitch of 2.5 mm to maintain shape. The shaft is suspended for 120 minutes in a heating furnace at 140 degrees C to perform thermosetting of the fiber-reinforced resin material.

[0059] The polypropylene tape is then peeled off and the mandrel is pulled out. Cutting and polishing is performed as required to produce a two-layer golf club made from carbon fiber-reinforced resin.

[0060] Referring to FIG. 1, the resulting golf club shaft has a total length (S+M+L) of 1145 mm, with a length L of the sloped section 16 being 245 mm, a length S of the uniform-diameter section 22 being 75 mm, a length (S+M) from the end 18 to the bend 20 being 900 mm, a length m of the semi-sloped section 19 being 825 mm (72% of the total shaft length), the outer diameter of the grip end 14 being 20 mm, the slope gradient of the sloped section 16 being 21/1000, and the sloped gradient of the semi-sloped section 19 being 10/1000. The kick point is positioned at 42% from the small-diameter end.

[0061] The golf club is produced by attaching a golf club head and grip to this shaft.

[0062] When balls were hit to test the golf club, it was found to provide a very good, rigid feel.

[0063] The rigidity of this golf club shaft was measured according to the distance from the end (tip). The results are shown in FIG. 5.

[0064] Referring to FIG. 5, it can be seen that the flexural rigidity at the sloped section is very high. A golf club having this type of rigidity distribution is very easy to handle.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 1

[0065] A golf club shaft was produced in the same manner as described above using a mandrel having an outer diameter at one end (small-diameter end) of 4.6 mm and an outer diameter at the other end (large-diameter end) of 13.5 mm. A slope gradient of 5/1000 is formed between the bend point and the large-diameter end, and the slope gradient between the bend point and the small-diameter end is 8/1000.

[0066] In the resulting golf club shaft, the outer diameter of the grip end 14 is 15.3 mm, the length of the sloped section 16 is 265 mm, the slope gradient of the sloped section 16 is 5/1000, the length of the uniform-diameter section 22 is 75 mm, and the slope gradient of the semi-sloped section 19 is 8/1000. The kick point is positioned at 43% from the small-diameter end.

[0067] A golf club was produced by attaching a grip and a golf club head to this shaft having a sloped section with a small slope gradient.

[0068] When balls were hit to test the golf club, it was found that the club gave a negative impression of being weak.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 2

[0069] A golf club shaft was produced in the same manner as described above using a mandrel having an outer diameter at one end (small-diameter end) of 4.8 mm. The outer diameter at a position 700 mm from the small-diameter end is 6.2 mm. The outer diameter at a position 234 mm from that position (934 mm from the small-diameter end) is 21.5 mm. The outer diameter at a position 400 mm from that position (the large-diameter end) is 22.8 mm.

[0070] In the resulting golf club shaft, the outer diameter of the grip end 14 is 25 mm. The outer diameter at the position 300 mm from the grip end is 24 mm. The outer diameter at the position 543 mm from the grip end is 8.5 mm. The outer diameter at the small-diameter end is 8.5 mm. The section from the grip end to a position 300 mm toward the small-diameter end has a slope gradient of 3.8/1000. The section between the position 300 mm from the grip end to the position 234 mm toward the small-diameter end has a slope gradient of 63.8/1000. The length of the uniform-diameter section toward the small-diameter end is 600 mm. The kick point is formed at a position 47% from the small-diameter section. The rigidity distribution of the shaft is shown in FIG. 8.

[0071] A golf club was produced by attaching a golf club head and grip to this shaft.

[0072] When balls were hit to test this golf club, it was found that the rigidity of the grip section was too high. This was because the slope gradient at the grip section is small and a long section of the grip is formed with a large outer diameter. Also, the rigidity of the small-diameter section is low because the uniform-diameter section on the small-diameter side is too long. Thus, the overall balance of rigidity is not good, making it difficult to hit the ball well.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 3

[0073] A golf club shaft is produced in the same manner as described in the embodiment above using a mandrel having an outer diameter at one end (the small-diameter end) of 5.6 mm. The outer diameter at a position 775 mm from the small-diameter end is 13.9 mm, the outer diameter at a position 950 mm from the small-diameter end is 13.9 mm, and the outer diameter at a position 1250 mm from the small diameter end (the large-diameter end) is 21.7 mm.

[0074] In the resulting golf club shaft, the outer diameter of the grip end 14 is 21 mm, the outer diameter at the position 235 mm from the grip end is 15 mm, the outer diameter at the position 410 mm from the grip end is 15 mm, and the outer diameter at the small-diameter end is 8.5 mm. The section between the grip end and the position 235 mm toward the small-diameter end has a slope gradient of 25.5/1000. The section between the position 235 mm from the grip end to the position 175 mm toward the small-diameter end has a uniform diameter. The section between the position 410 mm from the grip end to the position 695 mm toward the small-diameter end has a slope gradient of 9.4/1000. The length of the uniform-diameter section toward the small-diameter end is 40 mm. The kick point is formed at a position 41% from the small-diameter end.

[0075] Referring to FIG. 9, there is shown the rigidity distribution of the shaft.

[0076] A golf club is produced by attaching a golf club head and grip to this shaft.

[0077] When balls were hit to test this golf club, it was found that a slight change in the way force is applied during the swing results in large differences in shaft flexure. Thus, the club does not provide stable ballistics and is difficult to use.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

[0078] With a golf club shaft formed with a sloped section having a specific slope gradient as described in the present invention, the number of parts required is small and production is easy. The shaft is light and has appropriate hardness, provides good rigidity at the grip, has good strength distribution, and provides a kick point at an appropriate position. Thus, a good feel is provided when hitting balls. Also, since the outer diameter is larger at the grip section, unnecessary movements at the wrists during swinging are restricted, thus improving the aim of the ball.

[0079] In particular, using a sloped section with a length of 200-350 mm and a grip end with an outer diameter of 18-25 mm improves these features.

[0080] Furthermore, rigidity can be further increased as appropriate by forming a semi-sloped section at a position further toward the end than the sloped section with a slope gradient of 4/1000-13/1000.

[0081] Also, the golf club head can be attached easily by forming a uniform-diameter section with a length of 40-125 mm at the end.

[0082] In the golf club shaft according to the present invention, a mandrel is formed with a sloped section that expands toward one end. A fiber-reinforced resin material is wrapped around the mandrel. Pressure is applied to the sections outside the sloped section so that the sloped section has a region where no pressure is applied. Then, pressure is applied to the region where no pressure was applied. The shaft is then heated and set. As a result, the shaft can be produced easily and reliably.

[0083] In golf club shafts having multiple layers, a mandrel is formed with a sloped section that expands toward one end. A fiber-reinforced resin material is wrapped around the mandrel so that the fiber orientation is 20-70 degrees relative to the axis of the mandrel. To perform rolling of an inner layer, the mandrel is rolled on a rolling base at 30-40 degrees C so that the fiber-reinforced resin material is adhesed to the mandrel. On this mandrel covered with the fiber-reinforced resin material, another fiber-reinforced resin material is wrapped so that the fiber orientation is parallel to the axis of the mandrel. To perform rolling of an outer layer, the mandrel is rolled on a rolling base at 20-25 degrees C so that the fiber-reinforced resin material is adhesed to the mandrel, and this is then heated and set. During the inner-layer rolling process and the outer-layer rolling process, pressure is applied to the sections outside the sloped section, and a region at which no pressure is applied is formed at the sloped section. Then, pressure is applied to the region at which no pressure was applied. This allows a golf club shaft with high rigidity to be produced easily and reliably.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0084]FIG. 1 A side-view drawing showing an example of a golf club shaft according to the present invention.

[0085]FIG. 2 A plan drawing showing the production process of the golf club shaft according to the present invention.

[0086]FIG. 3 A side-view cross-section drawing showing the production process of the golf club shaft according to the present invention.

[0087]FIG. 4 A side-view cross-section drawing showing the production process of the golf club shaft according to the present invention.

[0088]FIG. 5 A graph showing variation inflexural rigidity based on position along the golf club shaft according to this embodiment.

[0089]FIG. 6 A plan drawing showing an example of a fiber-reinforced resin material.

[0090]FIG. 7 A plan drawing showing an example of a fiber-reinforced resin material.

[0091]FIG. 8 A graph showing rigidity based on the position along the golf club shaft according to comparative example 2.

[0092]FIG. 9 A graph showing rigidity based on the position along the golf club shaft according to comparative example 3.

[0093]FIG. 10 A side-view drawing for the purpose of describing how the kick point was measured.

LIST OF DESIGNATORS

[0094]12 grip section

[0095]14 grip end

[0096]16 sloped section

[0097]18 end

[0098]19 semi-sloped section

[0099]20 bend

[0100]22 uniform-diameter section

[0101]30 mandrel

[0102]32 rolling base

[0103]34 region at which no pressure is applied

[0104]36 fiber-reinforced resin material

[0105]38 fiber-reinforced resin material

[0106]40 fiber-reinforced resin material

[0107]42 shaft

[0108]44 small-diameter end

[0109]46 large-diameter end 

1. 1 A golf club shaft wherein: a sloped section expanding toward a grip end is formed; said sloped section has a slope gradient of 15/1000-35/1000 and a length of 200-350 mm; the outer diameter of said grip end is 18-25 mm; a semi-sloped section having a slope gradient of 4/1000-13/1000 is formed on the side of said sloped section toward said end; and a kick point is formed at a position 40-46% from a small-diameter end relative to the length of said shaft.
 2. A golf club shaft as recited in claim 1 wherein: said semi-sloped section has a length that is 50-80% of said shaft.
 3. A golf club shaft as recited in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein: a uniform-diameter section having a length of 40-125 mm is formed at said end.
 4. A method for making golf club shafts wherein: a fiber-reinforced resin material is wrapped around a mandrel on which is formed a sloped section expanding toward one end; pressure is applied to sections outside said sloped section while forming a non-pressurized region at said sloped section; pressure is applied to said non-pressurized region; and heating and setting are performed.
 5. A method for making golf club shafts comprising: an inner-layer rolling step wherein a fiber-reinforced resin material is wrapped around a mandrel formed with a sloped section expanding toward one end so that the fiber orientation forms a 20-70 degrees angle relative to the axis of said mandrel, and said mandrel is rolled on a rolling base at 30-40 degrees C to adhese said fiber-reinforced resin material to said mandrel; an outer-layer rolling step wherein said mandrel on which said fiber-reinforced resin material is wrapped is further wrapped with a fiber-reinforced resin material so that the fiber orientation is parallel to the axis of said mandrel, and said mandrel is rolled on a rolling base at 20-25 degrees C to adhese said fiber-reinforced material; and a heating and setting step to apply heat; wherein: during said inner-layer rolling step and said outer-layer rolling step, pressure is applied to sections outside of said sloped section while a non-pressurized region is formed at said sloped section, and then pressure is applied to said non-pressurized region. 